George Leslie Hunter (Scottish 1877-1931)

George Leslie Hunter (Scottish 1877-1931)
Torcello
Signed L Hunter (lower right)
Oil on board
68.1 x 48.6cm

Provenance:
Sotheby's, Glasgow, Scottish and Sporting Paintings - Drawings and Watercolours and Wemyss Ware, 4 December 1991, lot 218;
Private Collection;
By whom sold, Sotheby's, London, Scottish Art, 29 September 2010, lot 87;
PrivateCollection, Gloucestershire

George Leslie Hunter’s first visit to Venice came in 1922, the same year he also painted in Paris and Florence. It was during his visit to Paris that he encountered the latest work of Henri Matisse, which had a profound effect on the development of Hunter’s style. Torcello is one of only twenty-three Venetian oils to survive, and is typical of the period, with its short sharp brushstrokes of vivid colour, and areas of exposed board.